


Pay attention

by Bluespacechild



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Allura (Voltron), Alpha Hunk (Voltron), Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Beta Coran, Beta Pidge | Katie Holt, Fox Lance, Keith/Lance - Freeform, Lance/Shiro - Freeform, Langst, M/M, Multi, Omega Lance (Voltron), Polyamory, Polydins, Werecats, Werewolf Hunk, Werewolf Keith, Werewolf Shiro, Werewolves, Wolf Keith, keith/shiro - Freeform, lance be keepin secrets, lance is small doggo, lion coran, lioness allura, slight langst, werecat allura, werecat coran, werefox lance, werewolf pidge, wolf hunk, wolf pidge, wolf shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-29 00:10:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12618692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluespacechild/pseuds/Bluespacechild
Summary: Don't bring unnecessary attention to yourself.That's what his mama always told him.He's done a great, yet terrible job at that so far.Nobody wants to get to know you better when they think you're loud and annoying.They want to stay away from you.But when you are loud and annoying.... people tend to wonder why you never transform and go running through the woods with that loud boisterous personality. They wonder what amazing secret you're hiding.Never show your weakness.That's what his mama always told him.





	1. small

Lance was screwed.

He was screwed upwards, downwards and sideways.

He could always pass it off at the garrison as him just being secretive. As him just not knowing people well enough to go hunting with them.

But now...

He had a pack. A team. An _alpha._

How long could he really keep the secret now? Would they laugh at him? Or would they just unanimously agree...

_Weak link._

It was bad enough he was an omega on this ship full of alphas and betas. But he was also...

He was just...

He sighed inwardly.

_Small. He was small okay?_

Not to say his human side was small, oh no.

He was fairly tall. Taller than Keith even. An _alpha,_ mind you.

So with that being said, his wolf side should be even bigger than Keith's.

Lankier and not as muscly granted.

But bigger.

Except...

He wasn't.

He was _small._

And quiznak it was getting harder and harder to blow off everyone's questioning gazes when he refused to hunt with his pack.

Or train in wolf form, or sleep curled up around one another.

He just couldn't. He couldn't show them.

He didn't want to be pushed around or mistreated, just because he wasn't a wolf.

He was an adorable fucking fox.

He loved his transformation, don't get him wrong. It fit him well, and it made him feel safe. He may be small, but he was fast, and he could hide himself in any nook or cranny. Places people wouldn't think to look. Places people wouldn't even be able to reach if they _did_ think to look.

And he took full advantage of that little fact.

He would annoy and pester his friends until they asked about it.

 _"How about instead of annoying me, you do something useful and come train with me and Shiro?"_ Keith would ask aggressively, yet somehow still tentatively. It was cute, and also mildly scary, and he always felt bad about blowing him off. He knew he was asking for Shiro too. Their alpha, who was worried it was somehow _his_ fault Lance didn't want to reveal himself. But he would always decline anyway, with a smile on his face. _"Sorry Keith, lil old Lance has some prior engagements."_ Keith would always scowl afterwards and grumble as Lance sauntered off to hide somewhere out of sight. Somewhere small. Somewhere safe.

Or those moments when Pidge would get quiet in the middle of their mindless theoretical rambling, and he'd ask her what's wrong, and she'd stare at him, intelligent eyes scanning. _"Do you really not trust us?"_

And he'd stamper, and stutter out indigently. _"What do you mean?! Of course I trust you!"_ And he'd watch as she'd furrow her brow, and then after a moment, look away, avoiding his eyes. _"whatever..."_ He'd hesitate slightly at her obvious dismissal, before grumbling out something about going to see Hunk. Then he would stand, and wander off to a place where he could comb through his thoughts.

Hunk's reaction was the worst. The best, somehow, but also the worst.

He wouldn't say a word about it. He'd open his mouth, a suggestion of hunting together or cuddling in wolf form at the tip of his tongue, but then his mouth would close, and Lance could tell he was struggling to put it into words, but he wouldn't voice what Hunk was going to ask him, and tell him not to worry like he could normally do with other things that Hunk was to anxious to ask about.

He couldn't with this.

Because as much as he loved his friends...

Wolves intimidated him.

Stronger, bigger, more aggressive.

His family always hid him away while they hunted.

People could be so cruel to defenseless creatures.

He remembers the first and only time a person outside of his family saw him.

He'd snuck out, against his mother's orders.

She was pack alpha, and he knew she meant well, but it had been a month of him locked away without the beach or the forest to play in.

So that night he snuck out to feel the sand on his paws.

And then he'd gotten chased, laughed at, threatened, caught and roughed up.

He was thankful that the boy who had found him was the same boy at his school that he had caught dragging his butt on the carpet.

With a nicely placed threat to 'accidentally' tell people who the smear on the carpet was from, he'd never seen the boy even _look_ his direction at school ever again.

His mother had been so mad when he got home. But her anger melted into worry when she saw his beat up body.

 _"Don't draw attention to yourself. Don't let them see your weakness"_ Then she would hold him tight and apologize, even though it wasn't her fault.

He could almost hear her clear as day, feel her embrace. The protective aura his all-alpha family seemed to give off when they were together in public. The way his sisters stuck close to his side and scared off all the cute guys...

He was annoyed at the time, but now he longed for that.

Longed for that _safety._ The security in knowing your family is there for you.

With the remnants of thoughts clouding his mind, he dozed off.

It would be about the time his pack went off to play and hunt on their newest alien host's planet. He had already preemptively hidden somewhere small and out of the way.

He sighed one last time, longing for the beach. The woods. His _pack._

Yeah.

Lance was screwed. 

 

X

 

The group meet up went about the same as always.

Coran elected himself to stay on the castleship in case anything happened, and Lance just never showed up.

Every time they announced their nightly pack run, they'd all secretly hoped a certain blue paladin would show... But he never did. And when Shiro and Keith stubbornly went to look for him, he wouldn't be in his room. In fact they wouldn't find him anywhere they looked.

He never joined their group cuddles. Or hunting, or running, or grooming, or training.

He was a lone wolf in their eyes, which didn't make sense.

He was the _loud_ one. The one who hugged Hunk viciously without fear of being smushed by the over excited alpha. The one who wrestled with Pidge while she was still in wolf form, laughing and smiling at her playful puppy antics, without concern for the rough housing, and scratches he'd received. (As long as they weren't on his beautiful face!)

Hell, he would go out of his way to hang out with them, to spend time with them, and generally annoy them in the most loving way possible...

out of all of them, Keith seemed way more the lone wolf type. And yet he still participated. Still showed them his fuzzier side.

But Lance...

Lance hadn't.

It had been months, and the pack was worried that something was wrong.

They asked Hunk about it, but even at the garrison Lance had never shown him anything. Had never confided in him. Had never cuddled or hunted or played with him as a wolf, even though they were _best friends_.

The thought had made Hunk visibly upset, so they had quickly stepped away from the subject.

But it was a subject they couldn't exactly drop forever.

They were a pack. And if Lance, the pack omega, wasn't comfortable around them, didn't that mean something was wrong?

Keith growled, frustrated by the current circumstances, a puddle of black fur on the ground. His chin lay on the cold castle floor as purple eyes watched the door with such intensity, the salt and pepper patterned wolf beside him feared it may melt.

Shiro nudged his mate, who just huffed, and stood silently, before they headed off to catch up with the three dark silhouettes of their packmates in the woods.

Lance had not shown up, just like every time before.

They both shared a look as they ran, a brief and silent agreement.

They would have a little chat with Lance later.

That was for sure.


	2. Coran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran knows, and he thinks secrets are silly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys my works glitched so that there were two versions of the same story so I had to delete one. whoops. 0-0 don't really know what I did but, enjoy.

Coran had known for a while apparently, before he'd come to Lance that fateful day to have the talk that started everything.

He hadn't said anything about Lance's fox form, just came to him one day, and pointed out a different route to his favorite hiding spot where the cameras couldn't see him. "Many people, including myself watch the camera feed from time to time my boy. You should be more careful, if keeping your secret is really that important to you."

Lance had then visibly stiffened, and stared with wide, petrified eyes, waiting for the other shoe to drop. For a threat. Anything really.

But nothing had happened. Coran had just smiled, and said "Our weaknesses can be our greatest strength. Remember this Lance." And then they had kept walking down the hallway, in silence.

Lance had expected a change. Expected Coran to tell his pack, and for them all to start acting differently.

But over the weeks, the silence turned from stressed and anxious, to something more comforting. Coran would keep his secret.

After realizing this, talking with Coran came easily.

When his pack had group activities, he would help Coran around the castle.

He learned lions had packs too, except they were called prides.

He wondered if Coran went off alone so often because he missed his pride.

He did. But he still had Allura. And now, even if the other paladins and himself weren't lions, he had them in his pride too.

He told Coran this whenever he got that far away look in his eyes, and it always brought the smile back to his face.

Coran would tell him the same, but it still didn't feel right to him.

He didn't feel safe with the others. Not completely.

But he couldn't help it.

Even as he snuck out of his hiding spot once the pack had left to hunt, he still felt skittish, and weary of the lingering scents, and echoing corridors as he searched for Coran.

He found him in the common room, sitting on one of the many rounded sofas.

Lance came up behind him, rubbing his cheek against Coran's in greeting.

Coran smiled, his eyes wrinkling in amusement. "Ah! Lance my boy, you missed it! Number five ran straight into a tree chasing a Monieer!"

He asked what the heck a 'Monieer' was, getting a description that made him think of a purple, four eyed, squirrel.

He laughed at the image "Oh geez, she's still such a puppy."

Lance was now smiling softly to himself as he watched a different feed from Hunk's wrist band on a hand held tablet Coran was holding.

They each had one for communication purposes. You couldn't exactly wear a helmet as a wolf. Not comfortably at least.

Lance 'ooohed' and 'ahhhed' as Hunk barreled around corners, chasing a deer looking creature, even going so far as to jump up and cheer when Hunk landed a bite to the deer's back leg.

Coran chuckled to himself at the display, but still smelled something uneasy in Lance's scent when jaws snapped ferociously at the smaller creature on the screen.

"I don't quite see what all the fuss is about Lance. You two seem very close... I'm sure Hunk at the very least wouldn't mind about your situation."

Lance's smile fell instantly, and Coran almost felt bad for interrupting his adopted alien son's happy moment.

Lance rounded the couch and sat beside him. "I know Coran... But have you seen Hunk try to keep a secret from Shiro? He'd buckle under the pressure..."

Coran huffed. "Shiro wouldn't mind much either would he? He seems rather fond of you as you are."

 

"Coran-"

 

"Hush now. listen up! Your pack loves you and respects you-"

 

"But-"

 

"And I know they wouldn't think any differently about you if they knew-"

 

"You can't possibly know that for sure-!"

 

"Oh yes I can-!"

 

"Can not-"

 

"Can too-"

  
 "Can not-!"

  
 "Can too times space time."

  
 Lance grumbled to himself, trying to avert the attention from his problem, to their usual playful back and fourth. "I thought we agreed no more space time..."

  
 Coran patted his back sympathetically. "Sorry Lance, but you forced my hand!"

  
 "I didn't force quiznak, you're just a sore loser!"

  
 "language! And I'll have you know I am not one of your Earth's so called 'sore losers' I just like rematches, and unfair advantages for other reasons."

  
 Coran smirked at Lances pout. Coran reilized the conversation had just been skillfully changed, and quickly resumed composure before Lance could continue in their mindless showdown.

  
 "But... I am sincere when I say i believe you should tell your team about your differences. Our Differences make us so much stronger than our similarities."

  
 "But... You know how Shiro is... He'd get all... weird. He already doesn't send me on a lot of missions, and i'm pretty sure it's because he sees me as weak. If he knew I wasn't a wolf... That I was some mishap of nature... that I was, was.... small-"

  
 Coran held a hand up to silence him. "My boy, you are most certainly not a mishap of anything! I believe that we were all born the way we are for a reason! Just... Think about us Alteans for example!"

Lance's brow furrowed. "Huh? What about you?"

  
 "Well we change into lions my boy! We've never seen shifters like you before! Wolves! Who'd have thought?"

  
 "But your shifts are huge! You're big ass lions, Coran, Shiro can't see you as weak when you're twice as big as his wolf form! He wouldn't get all protective of you because of your form! And he couldn't..." Lance's thoughts wondered invoulintarily to the feed from the hunt. Snapping jaws and feral growls that would haunt his dreams for months. He couldn't hunt you down and kill you even if he tried. He didn't say it out loud, but he didn't need to. Those thoughts were for him, and him alone.

  
 Coran seemed to dwell on what Lance had said, brow furrowing, and Lance took the opportunity to voice what had been bothering him for weeks now.

  
 "He's been sending me on baby missions Coran! Guarding an already cleared hallway 'just in case' while he and Hunk go on ahead to clear the next room. Him and Keith going on a super dangerous mission while I stay behind to help prisoners to the escape pods that are right next to them, Heck he won't even let me scout ahead! Which is like the purpose of the sniper! He sends Keith! You know how he struggles with strategy! he's just like 'Keith smash!' and then we all end up having to fight even when it could have been avoided!"

  
 He sighs loudly, irritated and frustrated as he flops back on the couch. "He... He doesn't trust me in this pack."

  
 Coran sighs with him, flopping back as well. "Alright I might see where you're coming from..."

  
 "Might?"

  
 "I do. Truly. But... Maybe you just have to prove to Shiro that you're stronger than he thinks!"

Coran sits up, enthusiastically. "Show him that what he's doing is bothering you! Don't take no for an answer!"  Coran starts punching and clawing the air dramatically. "Give him the ol' one two! Rough him up! Go for the eyes-!"

  
 "Coran" Lance laughs out. "I'm not 'roughing up' my pack mate. Especially not my alpha. But... you're right. I'll tell him he doesn't have to go all mama bear all the time. We all get enough of that from Hunk."

  
 "I don't know what this 'mother bear' implies, but I'm glad! Though I am still worried about you keeping this whole 'foxy creature' thing secret."

  
 Lance laughed loudly, throwing his arm over his face. "oh god. My space uncle called me a foxy creature!"

  
 When Coran stayed silent for more than ten seconds, Lance lifted his arm, and glanced over at him, surprised by Coran blinking back unshed tears, as he started monologuing about how he 'accepted the title of uncle full heartedly' and would try his hardest to be the best 'space uncle' ever. Lance chuckled a bit at the fact that Coran accepted being his uncle, but did not understand his dirty joke, and simply brought the man into a warm hug, and ensured him that he already had been.  
 

He knew deep inside the advice given to him was sound.

  
 Because someone as important to him as coran had given it to him.

  
 He would take a chance and tell Hunk just to see how it goes.

 

X

 

 

When the group finishes their playful running and chasing, and hunting, they moved out to head back to the castle.

Pidge, a scrawny caremel colored wolf with white patches, carries her vaguely rabbit-reminiscent catch in her jaws, with a happy spring to her step, while Hunk, the big solid brown wolf, looks dejectedly at the ground as he trudges along. It turns out the deer like creature he had hunted and killed was not for eating.

Hunk had turned back to his human form to excitedly send a visual of his kill for approval from the Coran, using their communication wristband, only for his hopes to be dashed before his eyes. Eating the notoriously tasteless animal would have resulted in "stomach problems of quite the nasty variety" In the ginger's own words.

Lance even had the gall to chuckle in the background, and ask how long it took him to catch the damn thing, which was a sore subject, lance. It would most definitely earn him a merciless tickling when Hunk got his hands on him.

But... he was with Coran?

Hadn't he said that he was busy training...?

Just as Hunk's thoughts wandered to how Lance had time to spend with Coran, but not hunt with his pack, Shiro gave him a sympathetic nudge, and an impression of "There will always be next time champ."

Hunk's ears stopped their drooping, and he let his tongue roll out of his mouth in amusement, at the dadly way Shiro had spoken to him.

He was right. There will always be a next time.

And Lance might even want to come next time, and then they'd hunt some weird toxic animal together!

  
 He hoped so.


	3. Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How would he react? He doubted Hunk of all people would really care, but...  
> Snapping jaws, and growling had awoken him the night before.  
> Keeping secrets was all he'd ever known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. Life has thoroughly kicked my butt, but i'm almost still alive, so that's good enough. Thank you all for your comments and support, it really helped me get back in the groove of things.

Keith and Shiro, as it would turn out, didn't get to talk to Lance as soon as they had hoped. They arrived back to the castle after the hunt, and just like so many times before, Lance had seemingly disappeared into thin air.

Following his scent was their natural instinct of course, but they knew that plan was flawed. They'd tried to find him this way before, but the castle was already so layered in their pack's combined scents, that it was hard to distinguish any kind of consistency in the age or direction of said scent trails.

This did not stop them from trying however, as they walked side by side down the long castle corridors. They would eventually stumble upon him, they were sure. He was probably in a less traveled area of the ship, so it would be easier to distinguish between him and the others.... they hoped.

Shiro didn't seem to mind too much on the outside, but Keith could tell he was just as frustrated as he was. Just... much _much_ better at hiding it.

No, Keith proudly wore his frustration, grumbling and making faces, as they both peeked into empty rooms, and snuck about the less traveled sections of the castle. Lance was just so _evasive_. Too evasive! Evasive to the point that it was a problem.

Shiro had said in the beginning it was natural for some omegas to be elusive at first, and that perhaps Lance just needed some time to warm up to them, but even as the months passed, Lance just kept wandering off to who knows where.

It got to the point where one particularly Lance-less day, Keith was _convinced_ Lance must have left the ship somehow. He got dressed, and ready to go look for him, only to see him crawl out of a small closet door in a hallway across from the lion's hangers, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Keith had given him an earful, running at him, and Lance had run off laughing, seemingly finding amusement in Keith's worry as he was chased down the hall, before disappearing around a corner.

Keith sometimes found himself going back to that closet... but he had never found Lance there again, and over the weeks, the scent got weaker and weaker, until it was indistinguishable from everything else.

He realize he had zoned out when Shiro put his hand on his shoulder.

"Keith?" He asked softly.

Keith shook his head, giving up on the search after glancing at his wrist, and seeing that they had been looking for about half an hour now.

"Maybe we should just... ask him after dinner..." His voice trailed off into a grumble, ashamed to admit defeat.

Shiro rubbed his back supportively. "Good idea" He said, steering Keith back towards their room, with a false positivity.

 But Keith saw how Shiro peeked over his shoulder one last time, just as he himself had done.

So much for talking to their omega.

 

 

X

 

 

Lance was tense.

More tense than he had ever been.

Even more tense than that time he had asked Johna Speil to the prom, even though he was a freshman.

Or that time his principle called his mom to inform her that her son was not participating in gym class.

No this was worse. He would be breaking his promise to his mother. The promise he made to never tell anyone about his little secret. Ha. Little.

But... The thought of not having to hide from his best friend was relieving. He was almost exited about it! Almost. He continued to pace in front of Hunk's door.

"Okay... Lance McLain, Mr. Smooth talker, just go in and tell him... that you're..."

He sighed, deflating like a balloon at a very sad child's birthday party.

How do you explain something like this?

Lance pondered his life for a moment, before he knocked on Hunk's door in an act of impulsiveness.

Shit.

Hunk answered the door after a bit, and looked down at him, a bit of grease smudged on his face, and a lot more of it on his apron.

Lance smirked. "Busy grease monkey?"

Hunk looked down at himself, before smiling back "ah, no not really, just tinkering with something me and Pidge found on Sobanar."

Lance laughed "oh cool, so uh, can we talk?"

Hunk's expression faltered, before coming back as something fake and scary.

Lane could smell the anxiousness mixed in with the hopefulness, as Hunk stepped to the side silently and let him in.

It almost didn't feel real.

But it was, Lance had to remind himself, and he had to be careful how he handled the situation.

Hunk was a delicate soul.

Lance poked the strange mechanism on Hunk's desk, to which Hunk gave him a stern "Lance, no."

He pouted, and was instructed to wait on the bed while Hunk cleaned up, taking off his soiled apron, and heading to the bathroom.

Lance tried wiggling his eyebrows to defuse the situation, but Hunk either didn't notice, or finally learned not to encourage him with reactions.

He was betting on the first one.

Only when Hunk closed the door and Lance heard the distinct sound of water running, did he sit on the bed and wonder if he was doing the right thing.

He knew his mother wouldn't think so.

But his mother wasn't here.

And this was Hunk for crying out loud! His mom loved Hunk! Everyone loved Hunk!

Surely she would be the least mad at him knowing.

And Lance would feel so much better if he knew.

He hoped.

Would he though?

Lance's brow furrowed. Would he really feel any better?

At least now, he had all his cards still in his hand. If he showed them... It would all be for nothing wouldn't it?

All those years spent covering his tracks?

But then again, maybe those years had been wasted hiding. Maybe none of it had ever been worth it in the first place.

He didn't know which of those theories he was more depressed to think about.

He didn't think about it very long though, as Hunk quickly made his way out, cleaned up and smelling of hand soap.

His friend sat next to him on the bed, not saying anything, apparently giving him time...

Or just waiting him out.

Lance gulped.

"Hunk I..."

He turned to his friend, only to find him sitting in anticipation of his next words, staring him right in the eyes.

"Uh... I want to tell you about-"

Hunk sighed in relief. "oh thank god, I couldn't take it anymore!"

Lance's eyes widened, as Hunk smiled lopsidedly at him.

"Well go on! Tell me what's wrong! What's so bad that you had to keep it secret from your best bud?"

Lance's jaw hung open "I-"

He looked at his friend. His best friend. His wide brown eyes, filled with worry, and hope and a bunch of other things Lance didn't care to describe.

He looked at his best friend...

And shifted forms.

 

 

X

 

 

It was dinner time, and everyone was at the table.

And by everyone, Keith meant shiro, Pidge, and himself.

Everyone else decided not to show up.

Pidge ate silently while she typed away on a tablet, engrossed in the flickering numbers Keith saw reflected in her glasses.

Shiro scolded her for having tech at the table, but she gestured around them with one exaggerated draping hand motion as if to say _"you fool. There is no one here."_

It seemed to get the point across, as Shiro huffed, and went back to eating, letting her get away with her insubordination just this once.

Keith was almost envious of Shiro's tolerance for her sass.

But his mind was too occupied for such thoughts.

No, Keith was brooding about the small detail of-

Lance being a dinner skipping quiznack, along with the rest of their betraying team.

How dare he.

How dare he ruin his plan for the second time in a row.

Keith ground his food up with his fork in frustration, before Shiro nudged him and told him to stop bringing judgment to his goo, and eat it instead. They'd think of something else.

Pidge looked up at this, nosiness etched down into the core of her very being, and a bushel of freshly picked 'none of your business' laid out before her.

She swallowed her food, observing them as they silently ate, avoiding her eyes by staring down at their plates.

"So..." She said slowly, setting her tablet down. "What has you two looking so bummed out?"

Shiro looked up at her, eyes piercing. "Pidge..." He said in warning.

"Did you have a fight?"

"No Pidge"

"Is someone in trouble?"

Before Shiro could respond, Keith mumbled out a quiet but audible "If I get my hands on him, he will be..."

She smirked. "what was that?"

Keith blushed. "Nothing"

"Oh it was definitely something. What did he do this time? Wrap everything in your room with alien saran wrap? Put sand in your sheets?"

Shiro cleared his throat, giving Pidge a stern look.

She rolled her eyes, but nevertheless stopped pestering them and went back to typing.

For the rest of dinner Keith would feel eyes on him, only to be met with Pidge pretending she hadn't been looking when he glanced up at her.

Shiro must have been getting the same treatment, as they both finished eating in record time, getting up quickly to head back to their room.

When they were out of range of their smaller pack member's ears, Keith turned to his mate impatiently.

"Shiro. What do we do now?"

Shiro sighed softly. "I don't know. It's pretty late though. Maybe we should just wait till tomorrow."

Keith groaned at the answer, to which Shiro laughed playfully, and reached to ruffle his hair. "patience yields-"

Keith cut him off with a much louder groan, pushing his hand away, much to Shiro's enjoyment. "Yes Shiro, I know."

"We should get some sleep. Training starts early tomorrow."

Keith still felt full of energy from the hunt, and probably unable to sleep, but he guessed there were certain ways he could remedy that.

He kissed Shiro lovingly on the neck, and Shiro smirked down at him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

With that it was settled.

The Lance problem could wait until tomorrow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, Hunk's reaction is later sorry guys. I promise i'll update quicker than last time. This one is kind of short, as I am getting back into the flow of things. More soon.


	4. Reaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the reaction you've all been waiting fo-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the end's a bit rushed. I had things I needed to do, and didn't want to delay publication of this chapter any further.

Lance was pretty sure he was going to die.

Like seriously die.

He was going to roll over and he wouldn't be playing. He would just be dead.

Hunk was just- _staring_ at him, mouth gaping open, eyes wide.

It had been an uncomfortable amount of time since Lance changed forms, and at first he had been proud of how he had kept his posture composed and calm, but now he felt it difficult not to hunch over or pace with anxiousness.

He kept waiting for something to happen, for a reaction-

But he was just- just- _sitting there._

Lance was growing more and more antsy as he shifted awkwardly where he sat on the ground, trying to hold still, but finding it difficult with the heavy silence, and the eyes of his best friend digging under his skin.

And then it happened. Quickly, without warning.

Hunk's face morphed into this huge grin, and he moved forward quickly-

 _Too_ quickly, and before Lance could even let out a warning growl, Hunk was in full wolf form right in front of him, and his face was so close to his own and-

His teeth looked sharper up close.

Lance let out a yip at the sudden intrusion of his personal space, and growled the best he could as he stumbled away, the scent of fear coating the room.

Hunk looked taken aback as Lance backed himself into a wall.

He was whining low in his throat, and steped a foot or so back in shock.

Lance knew Hunk was probably panicking from the reaction, but he couldn't really stop himself. It was like someone pulled the override lever in his brain, and he had ceased all normal thought processes, instead feeling that overwhelming fight or flight response taking hold.

He was trying to calm down, trying to unhunch his body, but remained unable to do so.

He watched anxiously as Hunk assessed him with such a hurt expression that it nearly broke Lance's heart.

His ears were laid back, and he seemed to be unsure what to do, stepping from paw to paw nervously.

Lance forced himself to stop growling for Hunk's sake, trying to tell himself that Hunk hadn't done anything, he was just going to sniff him- maybe lick him?

He wasn't sure.

But he _was_ sure that his best friend would never maul him.

He thought briefly of Hunk's crushing hugs, and amended his statement.

He would never maul Lance on purpose.

After a few tense seconds, Hunk backed away a bit further, before slowly lowering down into a laying position, eyes glued to Lance as he calmed himself down in the corner.

They stayed that way for a bit, Hunk eventually resting his chin on the tile before Lance finally felt safe enough to move, taking small tentative steps forward.

Towards his friend.

His team mate.

His pack mate.

And towards the wolf he didn't want to be afraid of anymore.

 

 

X

 

 

Pidge is a very observant person. She knew something was up.

Keith and Shiro had the scent of annoyance and disappointment rolling off them in waves, to the point where it was almost overwhelming. When they left, she knew _something_ had to be done.

But first, as all missions usually start, she had to gather information on the subject at hand:

Lance McLain.

Truly the most annoying member of team voltron, in the most endearing of ways.

Mysterious, and an open book all wrapped into one somehow.

At times, Pidge felt she had him all figured out, only to have the notion flipped on it's head when he said something profound, or entirely too defensive for the subject at hand.

No, at first Pidge speculated that Lance was just a mama's boy who was too far from his family to feel safe, that he was a warm person with an open heart, ready to take in anyone in the vicinity-

Only to realize, that it wasn't happening as fast as it should have been, had the theory been true.

No, Lance had a certain coldness towards them all. Even Hunk, who coincidentally she was on her way to go see about the subject in question.

Even Hunk was growing weary of the distance Lance kept them all at, as he confessed to her once, before quickly, changing the subject.

He would be a tough cookie to crack, as he was possibly the most loyal person she had ever met. He didn't like talking about people if he didn't fully comprehend what was wrong. He felt like it was betraying them somehow.

But Pidge needed information.

She needed information, to fix the rift that had grown between their team.

The rift caused by Lance's transformation problem; whatever that may be.

She couldn't very well go to Lance about it-

Well she _could,_ but as Shiro and Keith had displayed earlier, he was avoiding them.

She would corner him later.

Hunk on the other hand, was always easy to find.

He was either in his room, the kitchen, or at his lion.

And coincidentally those were all relatively close to one another, so it wouldn't take long to hunt him down.

Searching the kitchen proved fruitless. Unless you count the alien tomato-looking thing sitting on the counter.-

Which she didn't by the way.

But that was neither here nor there.

She was fast approaching Hunk's door when she heard a strange, strangled yip. It sounded like someone was whining and barking at the same time.

She crept closer, and pressed her ear to the door, but didn't hear anything more.

Frustrated, she knocked.

And instead of hearing Hunk call out for her to enter, she was met with an unfamiliar silence.

 

 

 

 

Hunk stayed perfectly still, which was probably a good idea on his part, considering Lance felt like he might run off and scurry under the bed to hide if he _did_ suddenly move again.

Lance was close now, next to Hunk's face as he sniffed at his friend, trying to get accustomed to being in these forms together.

Hunk chanced a small move, causing Lance to freeze in place as the large wolf lifted it's head just enough to lick Lance a few times on the chest and wag his tail like a puppy.

He got the impression that Hunk was telling him he was cute, to which Lance playfully yipped back to tell him he already knew that.

They would have continued like that, getting accustomed to each other, as Lance calmed down, the aftermath of fear, slowly fading.

That is until the knock on the door came, and Lance jumped , looking at Hunk for a few seconds before crawling under the bed.

Hunk hesitated before he changed back to his human form, slightly upset that his time _finally_ bonding with Lance as a wolf was over already, before he got up to answer the door.

Whoever it was, it was probably important.

He was not expecting however, to find Pidge on the other side, looking confused.

She forcefully pushed passed him, and looked around, before turning back toward him.

"What was that noise?"

Hunk tried to school his expression when he asked her what she was talking about, but he was always so bad at it, that it somehow made it more obvious that he knew exactly what she had been talking about.

She squinted at him, before sniffing the air. "It smells like Lance in here. Is that why you both weren't at dinner?"

"No- just got busy with that thing we found." He said just a bit too defensively, causing Pidge's eyebrow to raise.

Hunk was lying to her, and she knew it.

And Hunk feared what that knowledge would lead to.

If Lance had growled at him, and become so scared- then surely it would be worse if there were more people stumbling across them at such a crucial time.

They hadn't even talked about what just happened for pete's sake!

He felt himself subconsciously glance at the bed, and Pidge watched the movement like a hawk closing in on it's prey.

She too averted her gaze to the bed, but just as Hunk made a move to stop her, she darted towards Lance's hiding spot, crouched down, and looked into the small space beneath his bed.

Hunk's heart lept into his throat. "Pidge-!"

But she didn't react, scanning under the bed as though she was looking for something-

surely Lance isn't so small that he would be unnoticeable? 

She got back to her feet, a confused look on her face as she turned to him, and Hunk urged himself to calm down.

She hadn't seen him.

Pidge squinted at him a bit longer, before relenting, sighing and averting her gaze sheepishly. "Sorry, you were acting suspicious. I guess it was just my imagination. Anyway... I came here to talk to you about Lance."

Hunk gulped. "Now is probably not the time."

Her face scrunched up in confusion once more. "What-?"

He herded her out the door, against her startled protesting. "We'll talk tomorrow I promise!"

"Goodnight!" He hurriedly called out, as she swiveled around to say something, her mouth hanging open.

 He shut the door before her voice could reach him.

He waited with bated breath for what seemed like minutes until he heard her footsteps walking away.

After a few seconds, just to be sure she really left, he rushed back to his bed and peered underneath-

But there was nothing there.

No Lance, no small brown fox.

No nothing.

He thought he must have stress dreamed the whole thing until he noticed it-

The small hole in the very far corner of the wall, that looking suspiciously like some kind of ventilation system. 

Lance was probably long gone by now, but Hunk had hope that he would return.

Until then, he tasked himself with the small mechanical object on his desk while he waited.

And waited.

And waited....

Hunk fell asleep at his desk that night.

And Lance fell asleep alone in a dark, cramped space.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a mad man with the need for speed to propel myself off my own cliff hangers.


	5. Tense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran and Hunk know.  
> Pidge, Keith, and Shiro are suspicious.  
> Allura wants team bonding, and she wants it NOW.
> 
> or: Everyone needs to talk with Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everybody for the wait. I have been feeling progressively unwell for a while, and couldn't bring myself to write. I've been using this time to visualize where i want this story to go, and I am feeling relatively okay today, so write I shall! >:O This story will get just a lil more stressful before it gets fluffy, just a heads up.  
> (also everyone is saying they each had their own lance fox head-cannons, and I say right on! It took me a long time to decide what kind of fox to write him as, and I was very torn, so if you want to imagine him as something other than what I wrote you can defs do that and it will be perfectly fine)

Lance skittered hurriedly through the cramped ventilation duct in mild curiosity, trying to memorize the unfamiliar layout. He had somehow overlooked this particular passage way in his exploration of all things vent-like around the castle, and he absent mindedly wondered how that was possible, and why it was under Hunk's bed of all places.

He reminded himself that he was on a huge magic-alien-castle-battleship, and it made a bit more sense that there were still things that were a mystery to him. 

Did all the paladin rooms have vents under their beds? He would have to ask Coran later.

He tried stretching as he climbed down from a small incline in the tunnel which opened up into a space that would be big enough even for his human form to crawl through if he really wanted too.

Which he didn't.

He wanted to stay in this form for as long as possible.

His fox form was much more suited to crawling through narrow winding passages, but still he was thankful for not having to crouch low anymore.

His muscles were tense from being curled up so tightly on cold hard metal all night. Shame creeped up on him, making his tail drag down low. He hadn't wanted to go back to his room, that much was obvious from the crick in his neck. He suspected Pidge might go there next, and didn't want to deal with that right now.

But he hadn't been able to make himself go back to Hunk either.

His bro had probably waited for him, and he just- never came back.

Normally he would've found some nice warm pipes, or machinery in these access tunnels and curled up in the warmth when he was stressed and needed some alone time, but last night... He had let his thoughts get the better of him, torn between leaving or going back to his closest friend.

He had wound up laying in the cold, drenched in self pity and shame.

He should have gone back to Hunk.

He could go now if he really wanted-

But they had training today, which meant Hunk was already in the kitchen cooking something up, and everyone was already filtering in to eat in the dinning room.

He would be late, like always, but this time everyone would look up at him at the same time, all frustrated, confused, and worried.

And it was all his fault.

Shiro and Keith wanted to talk, and he's been avoiding them.

He revealed to Hunk and then left him hanging.

Pidge- Well Pidge was nosey, and practically his little sister, so it was to be expected.

Lance just prayed that Allura's hair was fluffy enough to hide behind today.

 

 

X

 

 

Allura's hair was not fluffy enough to hide behind today.

In fact, dare he say it, she was looking at him too, just like everyone else.

Maybe she liked him after all and was just too shy to say it before-

"Lance"

uh oh.

Her voice was stern and he hesitated to sit down, already having walked to his seat, but still capable of running away if need be.

She raised one perfect eyebrow, before gesturing to his chair between Keith and Shiro expectantly.

He looked down at it, then back up at her, contemplating how fast Alteans could run. She threw Shiro across the room right?

Surely he would be no match if her speed lived up to her strength.

Everyone was looking back and fourth between the two, expressions ranging from worried to entertained.

Lance swallowed and fidgeted, trying to control the disstressed scent he was giving off as he slowly sat down in his seat, a plate of food goo already waiting for him.

He wondered belatedly who got it for him.

He must not have done a very good job at hiding his stress, as he felt someone's foot gently nudge his own, turning to see none other than Keith with his usually serious face looking surprisingly soft and gentle.

Keith opened his mouth as if to say something, but Allura beat him to the chase.

"Now that we are all here." She said pointedly. "I would like to discuss today's training exercise."

Her paladins all looked at her with rapt attention, causing her inner alpha to relax immensely at the show of respect.

"Today we will be partnering up into two groups. Each group will have a starting place, and a colored marker, which will be hidden by their team's leader. Each team's objective is to gather the opposing team's marker, and bring it back to their starting location-"

There was an audible gasp, and Allura startled.

Lance slammed his palms on the table suddenly, and stood, jaw hanging open in bewilderment.

Shiro, Keith, and Allura turned surprised eyes on him, but just when Shiro started to question the interruption, Pidge and Hunk stood as well, equally as exited as Lance squealed in delight.

"Capture the flag!" Hunk shouted.

Understanding flashed in Shiro's eyes and he smiled gently at the three, but Allura and Keith still looked utterly confused.

"Capture the flag?" Allura whispered conspiratorially to Shiro, not taking her eyes off of Lance and Hunk, who were grasping each other's hands over the table and pledging their loyalty to each other, as though they were about to go to war.  

"It's an Earth game." He whispered back fondly, as Pidge vowed to get her revenge on them for 'last time', whatever that meant.

Lance smirked then, and confidently stood tall. "Not a chance Pidgeon. Hunk is my best bro, and with us on the same team, we're unstoppable."

Shiro noticed the tenseness in Keith as the words spilled from Lance's mouth.

"Well good to know you two are as close as ever." He mumbled to himself.

Lance's haunches rose. "What's that supposed to mean?" He said narrowing his eyes at the shorter boy beside him.

Keith was about to retort when Shiro sent out an overpowering scent.

 _"Keith."_ He said in warning.

Keith blushed to the tips of his ears before he turned away from Lance, staring at the wall on the other side of the room.

There were a few moments of tense silence before Allura spoke up.

"He may have a point, actually."

Lance turned to look at her, indignation in his voice. "You can't be serious!"

Allura gave him an unamused expression. "You and Hunk have obviously done this training exercise together before. You need to learn how to work with your other teammates better, so I'm splitting you up."

"What about Keith and Shiro?!?" Lance squawked. "They _always_ work together!"

Allura sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "They _also_ participate in team bonding."

That shut Lance up, and he clamped his mouth shut, face turning red in embarrassment.

Low blow.

He sat down, and stayed quiet, no longer paying any mind to the princess while he pouted.

Allura explained the rules, mostly for Keith's benefit, getting progressively more annoyed as Lance only responded in 'uh huh's' and 'sure's'  for the rest of the meeting.

She was worried however, when she noticed Lance's still full plate as they all stood to move to the training room.

She was about to intervene when Shiro caught her eyes, and gently touched Lance's shoulder.

"We'll catch up to you." He said, and she only nodded in response, before turning and leaving, as Lance looked up at Shiro in confusion.

Shiro would handle it, she was sure.

Lance however didn't know if _he_ could handle it.

Keith was _also_ standing beside him, seemingly going to stay behind while Shiro scolded or questioned Lance or whatever and-

God it was getting on Lance's nerves.

So _Keith_ got to stay behind while Shiro grated on him, but he and Hunk couldn't even be on the same team?

It was absurd.

Shiro cleared his throat, smelling Lance's annoyance, and Keith's building nervousness.

"Lance" he said gently.

Lance obviously wasn't expecting the gentleness, and Shiro wondered belatedly if he was expecting to get chewed out-

Shiro cursed himself at the thought.

"You aren't in trouble." Shiro said hastily, and he felt Lance relax under his hand.

Shiro swallowed nervously as Lance finally looked back up at him.  
"Then why do you have the disappointed face?"

Shiro's brows furrowed. "The disappointed face?"

Lance nodded. "You have that same face whenever you're about to tell someone how to improve on something they've messed up on."

Shiro blushed. "Truth be told I _am_ disappointed."

Lance's face darkened and he tensed again, looking at the ground.

"But not in you-!" He added quickly.

He seemed to fumble and Lance was getting whiplash at the mixed messages.

He sighed then, as Keith fidgeted beside him.

"We're worried about you Lance." Shiro said after a few moments.

He looked like he was about to say more when Keith barreled over him. "Did we do something wrong?"

Lance looked over at him in shock, surprised by the question. "No, of course not-!"

Keith flared up then, looking at Lance fiercely. "Then what's your problem? Are we not worth your time? What is it?!"

Lance looked at him like he'd just watched Keith kick a puppy, and Keith felt his shoulders drop, and his expression soften.

"I didn't mean- Lance, I'm sorry I'm just- confused..."

Lance schooled his expression, the hurt in Keith's voice truly getting to him.

Shiro spoke after a few seconds of Keith and Lance staring at their feet ".....Is something wrong? You can tell us if there's a problem, or if you need help Lance."

Lance laughed.

He _laughed._

"Oh _no_ Shiro, no problem at all." He said in a voice that was a little too happy after getting yelled at.

And then he was out of Shiro's hold, and walking to the door.

"Let's go catch up to the others! I wanna know who's lucky enough to be on my team!"


	6. Running from something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge, Keith, lance! Team woof!  
> Shiro, Allura, Hunk! Team bork!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack~

The silence stretched long as Shiro and Keith trailed a few feet behind Lance, who's fake looking smile stayed stubbornly put.

Keith stared at his back intensely. He just wanted to solve the problem at hand already and get this mysterious nonsense out of the way, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to find a solution.

It was only when Shiro placed a gentle hand on his shoulder that Keith realized he had been speeding up, and advancing on Lance's turned back.

Said boy wasn't looking at him, but he could tell from the slight turn of his head, and the tenseness of his shoulders, that he had sensed the approach. Keith turned bright red, slowing down to fall in line with Shiro, before jerking his head to the side and grumbling "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention" To the uncaring ground.

Lance seemed to accept the answer at least, and faced fully forward, his muscles noticeably relaxing as they approached the training deck doors.

This was going to be a training day for the books.

 

X

 

Lance felt bad for blowing off Shiro and Keith. Truly they must really care if they felt the need to intervene, and he knew they were only worried.

worried about the weak link of an omega they've been dealt.

He felt a spike of indignation, thinking about having to train with them both, and remembering all the worried glances he'd gotten from them in the past when he'd gotten his ass kicked in particularly difficult simulators.

Maybe today would be the day he showed them he could handle himself! That he wasn't as weak as they thought...

As they walked into the training deck, Allura threw them a dazzling smile, sorting them into teams as soon as they were in ear shot.

Lance only half listened as two voices rang out one right after the other.

_"Our differences can be our greatest strength."_

_"Don't let them see your weakness."_

The two ideas conflicted in such a way that he couldn't process who's advice to heed.

He couldn't listen to them both, he needed more time to think about it all.

He guessed he'd have to rely on his pure unadulterated talent to get him through this! Just like every other day!

He'd show them all just what Lance McLain was capable of.

 

 

X

 

The first thing Lance did as part of team 'woof" was trip on his own feet and fall flat on his face.

Pidge and Keith both looked back at him, unimpressed, but worried about their team mate.

"I meant to do that." Lance mumbled, his face going red as he quickly stood up and rejoined their ranks.

Keith scoffed, but came over to check on him anyway, looking for any sign of injury, much to Lance's annoyance. "Sure you did" He mumbled.

Pidge just smirked and rolled her eyes. "Hurry up... Both of you."

 Keith whipped around with wide eyes. " _I_ didn't do anything! _Lance_ is the one who fell?"

She leveled him with an unimpressed look. "And who's hovering around him like a mother hen? You're _both_ being too slow. Do you want to win or not?"

Lance blushed. "....I wanna win. Pidge is right, let's go."

He brushed past Keith with a playful nudge. "Come on _team leader."_

Keith blinked in shocked silence as his team mates walked on ahead of him before shaking himself out of it and speed walking to catch up with them. " _I am not a mother hen!"_ He hissed.

Pidge and Lance looked at each other with the kind of understanding only the underestimated knew.

Lance wondered if this is how she felt when the others fussed over her, being the youngest and all.

If so, then he did contribute to it a lot in that case, but he couldn't really help it.

He was an omega with protective instincts god damn it.

He paused his train of thought, as it broke off to Shiro and Keith.

 _Their_ instinct was to protect too.

Was Lance overbearing to her like they were to him?

Pidge ushered them down a hallway and into a small room before she opened a small wall panel close to the floor, kneeling, and placing their flag within.

"This room has no other entrances. None that Shiro, Allura, or Hunk could fit through anyway, and since the mice are out for this game, this is the best defensive position we've got."

Keith nodded in approval. "Okay. Pidge, you stay here and guard our flag. Lance and I will go and capture team 'bork's'"

Lance giggled at the other team's name, but spoke up before Keith could say anything more. "actually, me and Pidge haven't really been teamed up too much lately... Maybe me and her could go?"

Keith looked vaguely annoyed, ready to argue when Pidge too spoke up. "Lance is actually right for once. I don't really want to guard the dumb ass flag either. Shiro said no traps anyway so this is going to be boring waiting by myself. I wanna go with Lance."

Keith squawked as the two brushed past him and high fived each other, leaving him standing alone in the hallway with no choice but to stay.

Team underestimated is a go.

 

 

X

 

 

Pidge and Lance walked in comfortable silence as they snuck past doors and empty stretches of hallway, searching for team bork's hiding spot.

Pidge had several theories as to where Allura or Shiro may have chosen to hide, and they had already gone by several tactical locations with nothing to show for it, when Pidge broke the lapse in conversation with a whispered. "So why'd you want to team up with me?"

Lance spluttered. "Does there have to be a reason? They never team us up together."

Pidge looked at him for a long moment before breaking eye contact and staring at the floor. "You've been acting weird." When she stopped walking, Lance grew uneasy, hoping the smell of it wasn't in his scent.

"What... do you mean?"

 She looked back up at him then, calculating her next words. "Why are you so afraid of letting us see?"

Lance knew instantly what she was talking about, but still wondered if he should play dumb just to draw this out a little longer.

He chose not to in the end, Pidge looked so calm, so non threatening in that moment, like the curious little sister he had always known her as.

looking ahead as he kept walking, slower this time as Pidge fell in step beside him he answered her. "I honestly don't know. It's hard for me to explain exactly the feeling. It's like... Like when you were pretending to be a boy."

She rolled her eyes. "But I told you all I was a girl! I didn't keep it a secret _that_ long! It's been literal _months,_ Lance!"

She must have smelt the anxiety in his scent, as she quickly quelled her anger, instead recalling before, when she was a _boy_ at the garrison, and then a _boy_ who piloted the green lion. "I was scared you... would be mad at me for lying. That it might be a critical blow in your trust in me. If that's the problem, you don't have to worry about any of that. We're your team. We won't just ditch you."

Lance glanced at her, saw that she was staring holes into the side of his head, and glanced away.

She sounded so sure.

Would she still be so sure if she knew?

Just then a shot rang out, and Lance darted to the side for cover in an empty hallway, seeing that Pidge was doing the same, as adrenalin pumped through his veins.

"Guess we found the flag huh?" He panted shakily as three more shots rang out.

"Laaaaaaaaaaaaancccccccccce~ Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidge~" Hunk sing songed. "What's wrong guys, are you hiding from little old me?"

Lance grumbled at the smug tone in Hunk's voice at having caught them off guard. "That was a cheap shot Hunk!"

He heard a laugh in response. "Well you should have been paying attention! I'm not letting this flag go that easily!"

Lance glanced at Pidge and they made a few vague gestures at each other, a non- verbal plan of attack taking root.

When they finished, they nodded, high fived, and Pidge crawled into a vent while Lance rolled to the other side of the hall's entranceway in one quick movement.

Gunshots trailed behind him, but he made it to the other side easily.

"Hurry up Pidge!" He pretended to yell at the other side of the hall where pidge most definitely wasn't standing.

"Hey! Where are you going, that's they _wrong way_ you gremlin!"

Lance schooled his expression into mock annoyance, as he peered around the corner and began shooting at Hunk.

Hunk hid behind his shield, and shot back in response, but he could see the paranoid look in his eyes, as he glanced down the hall to his right. Logically speaking it was the only hallway Pidge could appear out of if she _did_ go the opposite direction.

When Hunk changed his angle so that he guarded both halls better, Lance had to avoid smirking.

They just played him like a fiddle.

He watched as Pidge crept out from the vents behind Hunk in between shots. She slowly eased to the ground as to not make any noise, and began peering into rooms that could house the Bork flag.

Lance's thoughts wandered. It was weird that they chose this spot. An intersection made a lot more paths to guard for Hunk, who was all alone...

Oh no.

He heard Pidge yelp as a shot hit her from a doorway she had just peered into.

"PIDGE!" He cried out, all to late.

Hunk turned, distracted, and Lance took the chance to shoot him, his armor going rigid as it blinked and he fell to the side.

"Laaaaance!" Hunk whined in annoyance. "No fair bro!"

Lance distantly heard PIdge's "That's what you get for tricking me!" But he tuned the rest of their banter out as he saw the horror movie trop right behind his team mate's fallen form.

Shiro's shadow stretched across the wall, growing larger as he walked towards the entry way, before shrinking again and turning canine.

He saw only Shiro's nose and muzzle peak out of the doorway before making a break for it.

_Shit. Fuck, what was he supposed to do?_

He wanted to hide, but he reminded himself that this was only a game.

That is until he heard claws clicking on the tiles behind him.

His blood thundered in his ears as he ran from the encroaching wolf. 

He took several sharp turns and heard Shiro's steps falter as he slid on the tile, his momentum too powerful. 

Lance made his way to where Hunk was laid and jumped over him, turning down the corner and skidding around Pidge, bursting into the room she had been shot in.

There it was.

The flag.

Pidge stared at him from the floor, face serious as he snatched it up and walked out the door with it.

"Keep it secret, keep it safe."

"I'll be back pidge! Don't go anywhere!" He shouted as he began running again, this time towards their own base.

"Fuck you!" He heard distantly as he snickered.

His good mood didn't last long however.

Shiro burst out ahead of him, and he had to skitter in a movement eerily similar to that deer thing Hunk had killed as he propelled himself down another hallway to his left, getting off track.

This continued for a while, when Shiro began gaining on him he would take a jagged turn, or slip into a narrow space neither of Shiro's forms could fit, and find himself in the next hallway over.

To Lance's surprise and delight he found himself close to home base.

He heard a groan as Keith and Allura came into view, bayards clashing.

Lance was thankful he wasn't the one fighting her.

He took a few shots at Allura as he darted past them, startling her, and giving Keith the upper hand as he landed his blow, and paralyzed her.

Keith fell into step beside him, matching his fervent pace, and Lance was thankful he stayed in his human form, otherwise he might have run _from_ Keith, and that would have been difficult to explain to say the least....

They were going to win!

 _Lance_ was going to win!

KEITH AND LANCE FOR THE WIN! (Sorry Pidge r.i.p.)

Fear burst alive in him once more as Shiro's footsteps began gaining on them, but he still managed to toss Keith the flag as he pointed his bayard at Shiro, and sent him running down a different hall to avoid the blast.

Lance laughed in relief as he looked at Keith, who looked just about how he felt.

He smiled wider when Keith laughed right back at him.

Who knew fighting Allura and running from Shiro could be so exhausting.

That was a trick question. Everyone knew never to do either one of those things.

Speaking of which.

Shiro blocked the way to their starting spot, growling.

Just as Lance raised his bayard, Shiro darted forward, and yanked it from his hand, sending it careening away.

Keith and Lance darted left, doing their best to avoid the wolf chasing them.

They were so close!

Lance could see the error in their quick evasion of Shiro.

He had just herded them like sheep into a dead end.

Keith seemed to realize the same thing, groaning in frustration, as they came to a stop  in the face of said dead end, turning to face a very smug looking wolf.

Lance was panting hard, not able to run for much longer, and Keith wasn't doing much better.

Shiro however, looked like he could run circles around them.

And that's when Lance had an idea.

An idea he loathed, and feared, but a good idea.

He mentally steeled himself as Shiro ran forward, taking a few deep breaths, as anxiety overtook him.

He could do this.

He could do this.

Oh god he was going to do the thing.

"FOR WOOF SQUAD!" He shouted as he darted towards a startled Shiro, and collided with the large wolf mid leap, shutting his eyes tight, and pretending he was hugging a stuffed animal instead of a full grown alpha wolf.

When the censors on his paws touched lances suit, it blinked and then froze, indicating that Lance had been 'caught', and effectively trapping Shiro in a tight embrace as Lance's armor froze in place, his two front legs trapped to his sides as they both careened to the floor.

There were a few seconds of stunned silence from all before the hallway was filled with Keith's boisterous laughter.

Keith was doubled over, bracing himself on the wall as he gasped for breath, tears pricking his eyes.

Lance tried not to let his panic ruin the mood, not looking at Shiro as he tried calming down.

Shiro wiggled, trying to escape, as Keith wiped a stray tear from his face and walked over to them, pulling out his tablet and snapping several photos of them.

"Keeeeeeeeeeith, go already!" Lance whined, still panting, and full of anxiety, which he hoped they both mistook for embarrassment.

And to his credit, Keith did leave.... at a leisurely pace after ten more photos, laughing as he stepped over them, Shiro huffing in annoyance at the unnecessary gesture.

 

 

X

 

 

When Keith finally disappeared around the corner, and the laughter was out of range, Shiro shifted back to his normal self, experimentally wiggling his arms to no avail.

Lance's heart immediately calmed at the familiar figure against him.

"Fuck you for running so fast." He panted at the older man.

Shiro chuckled. "You did good! Imagine how fast you'd be in your wolf form! I wouldn't have stood a chance!"

Lance chuckled dryly. "Yeah..."

"I'm serious Lance. That was amazing. Where'd you learn to run like that?"

He searched for an answer, one that would make sense, but the only one that would come to his mind, or that had any semblance of truth was...

"My mom...."

"Your mother?"

He looked up at Shiro, who was smiling gently down at him, and smiled back, somewhat sadly.

It felt forced, like the words were having trouble leaving his tongue.

 

"Yeah, she taught me..... I've been running for.... for as long I can remember."


End file.
